Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
White Paper of Youth20 India – A Backgrounder
Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Information & Broadcasting, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur launched the White Paper of Youth20 India today in Guwahati.
The idea of the White Paper is to show the on-ground realities with respect to the five themes in the G20 and beyond. It also includes a section called ‘The India Way’ which showcases some of India’s governance success stories on the five themes.
Theme 1: Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation & 21st Century Skills
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented changes to the world of work, including widespread lockdowns and economic disruption. However, it has also opened up new opportunities for employment and growth, particularly in industries that have embraced digital transformation and investment in skill development.
The rise of Industry 4.0, with its focus on technology, data analysis, and automation, has created new possibilities for workers to learn new skills, re-invent their careers and stay ahead of the curve. The principle of Unlearn, Relearn, and Reskill is essential for success in this new environment.
Globally, there are various efforts being made to impart 21st century skills as part of the theme 'Preparing the Workforce through the Principle of Unlearn, Relearn & Reskill'. The aim of these efforts is to equip the workforce with the necessary skills to succeed in the digital age and navigate the changing job market.
The MSME  sector plays a crucial role in promoting cooperation between enterprises, the private sector, and research institutions for the benefit of youth today. They are typically more flexible and responsive to local market conditions and can quickly adopt new technologies and business models.
Schemes of the Government of India such as Skill India, Digital India and Mudra Yojana, have left a stark difference in the lives of millions of Indians. From a few hundred recognised start ups in 2014 to over 80,000 today, India has come a long way.
Digital Governance in India has gained from strength to strength in the past few years. In the third quarter of last year, over 23 billion digital payments worth Rs 38.3 lakh crore were recorded in our country, which is a testament to the New India that Prime Minister Modi has envisioned.
Theme 2: Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability A Way of Life
Children and youth are not just victims of climate change, but they are also valuable contributors to climate action. There is a significant opportunity for youth to become professionalised contributors to the ongoing ‘green’ recovery in play.
In COP 26 which was held in Glasgow to address the matters of climate crisis the Honourable Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi introduced the concept of Mission LiFE that urges individuals and groups to take action to conserve and preserve the environment. The mission is conceptualised with the spirit of ‘P3- Pro People Planet’. The principles are simple yet effective~ ‘Lifestyle of the planet, by the planet and for the planet’, making the resistance against climate change firmer with democratic principles.
An interesting case study is India’s LPG and LED reforms. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana  is a flagship scheme with the objective to make clean cooking fuel such as LPG available to rural and deprived households. Under this, the Government of India ensured LPG connections to over 9.5 Crore households.
The National Green Hydrogen Mission of the Government provides a comprehensive action plan for green hydrogen production and making it an affordable and accessible energy carrier.
Solar energy is another important aspect of India’s policy with regards to renewable energy. In 2015, the Government of India under Prime Minister Modi proposed the setting up of the International Solar Alliance, the vision of which is to mitigate climate change by shifting energy solutions to renewable sources, primarily solar energy.
Theme 3: Peace-building and Reconciliation: Ushering In An Era of No War
The white paper focuses on navigating the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing global conflicts towards establishing a world of peace and prosperity. This section's major highlight is the importance of facilitating global consensus on conflict prevention and peacebuilding, promoting equitable collaboration between the Global North and South, and countering non-state actors through concerted efforts.
Lessons are drawn from India's experience of navigating internal and external conflicts, the need for socio-economic stability and peace-building efforts in preventing wars. The G20 nations can learn from India's experience in making and implementing its socio-economic policies and devising effective peace-building efforts in once-restive regions.
Indian ethos of diplomacy, which is premised on the principle of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" or "The World is a Family" has been on display during India’s rescue missions in the middle east and Ukraine and India’s aid to countries like Afghanistan.
India’s success in democratic peace building can be seen in the north-east and constitutional peacebuilding through amendment of Article 370 and abrogation of Article 35. India has shown the way that peacebuilding and reconciliation can indeed take place without the use of force and such a peace, once established, can be lasting in nature as well.
Theme 4: Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance
The White Paper touches upon the challenges for youth in legislature and politics including structural barriers and personal struggles like political financing and mentorship.
Enhancing grassroots youth leadership is a major priority area under Y20 India, as empowering young leaders is an effective way of harnessing and mainstreaming their untapped potential.
The National Informatics Centre  under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology  offers a ‘Digital India Internship’ for Indian students where they get to participate in the policy-making process by producing policy inputs such as empirical analysis, policy papers and briefing reports.
Further, ambitious government initiatives such as YUVA 2.0 programme, MyGov Initiative, and the National Youth Policy have been the forerunners in the quest to realize these objectives.
Theme 5: Health, Wellbeing and Sports: Agenda for Youth
As we are advancing into the digital world, most of our services are also transitioning to the virtual platform, however, the transition in the healthcare sector is yet to gain momentum. Also, the digital health services have been beyond the reach of a large section of the world’s population, partly due to discrepancies in digital literacy, technological and language barriers. A sizeable portion of the population lacks access to public health services and is required to pay for their own healthcare. High out-of-pocket costs significantly contribute to trapping vulnerable populations in poverty. Hence, there is a need to address the issue of healthcare financing on priority.
Amidst all these challenges, India has emerged as a beacon of hope, leading the way forward in our fight against these issues. Schemes like The Ayushman Bharat Abhiyan and Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras have made quality healthcare facilities accessible to the underprivileged strata of the society.
India has demonstrated its digital healthcare capabilities by roping in state of the art technologies to plan and implement large scale immunization drives in the midst of the pandemic via the COWIN portal. India has also adhered to its teaching of “Vasudhev Kutumbukum” by providing essential drugs, vaccines and other healthcare equipment to various countries around the globe.
Further, India has taken a significant step towards integrating traditional medicine with modern medicine by establishing the Ministry of AYUSH, which oversees the adoption and promotion of traditional medicine practices from the systemic level down to the grassroot levels.
India has also taken steps to promote sports as a part of lifestyle, by introducing the KHELO INDIA scheme, where hundreds of young athletes from various parts of the country get to participate in an event that is televised nationally.
In the past few years, the Prime Minister has made the youth an important stakeholder in India’s development journey and this is exactly what has brought out in the White Paper.
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